Patrick George

Upon seeing the Nissan IDx Nismo and IDx Freeflow concepts in person at the Detroit Auto Show earlier this week, I immediately thought they would be the perfect size for a Subaru BRZ fighter. The people at Nissan must think so too. It's gonna be real!

Nissan created the IDx Freeflow and the IDx Nismo concepts after understanding that carmakers have…
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Well, one of them at least, but they're essentially the same car, a sort of rebirth of the legendary Datsun 510 in street-going and race form. Nissan told Australia's Drive and other news outlets that a production version of the IDx could happen in 2016 or so.

Nissan executive vice president Andy Palmer told media there was no confirmation of which of the two concept models would hit production.

"Don't say that we won't do both, but we will definitely do one of them," he said.

He went on to hint that the IDx might have a manual transmission, or at the very least, paddle shifters.

And that's great news, because a.) both cars look amazing and b.) we need as many affordable rear-wheel drive sports cars as we can get.

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If the IDx's production car is anything like the concept, it could be powered by a sub-2.0-liter four cylinder engine, likely turbocharged. If they keep it light, that should get the BRZ fighting done just fine.